


Clear as Day

by Spingtail



Series: AtBB Canon [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Fluff, Papyrus (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Undertale Monsters on the Surface, and just a LITTLE angst but not much i swear, just a few tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-25 19:34:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20917421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spingtail/pseuds/Spingtail
Summary: Underfell Papyrus sees the surface for the first time. Russ is there to help him out.





	Clear as Day

**Author's Note:**

> Just to avoid any confusion:  
Edge goes by Papyrus here bc he doesn't have his nickname yet! Also, Russ is undertale Papyrus, just a lil different owo
> 
> (also, this takes place long after the events of Self Hatred)

In a rather sudden landing, two skeletons fell to the ground after manifesting in mid-air.

“Got it-- _ shit!!”  _ Papyrus exclaimed, sticking his arms out as an attempt to regain his balance before eventually falling backwards.

“Don’t worry!” Russ assured, a playful grin on his face as he stopped the other from falling, holding his elbow to help him steady himself, “It took me a while to get used to, too!”

Papyrus chose not to acknowledge that Russ had landed perfectly on his feet with no effort, electing to roll his eyes instead.

“Where are we now?” He asked. It seemed that the two had landed somewhere in Waterfall, but that hardly meant anything when it came to alternate universes.

“Good question,” Russ replied, poking a glowing mushroom with his foot before looking around. “It looks like a cave to me!”

“You  _ know  _ what I meant, asshole,” Papyrus grumbled, sticking his head out of the opening. “I don’t see anyone around.”

“Me neither,” the other agreed, leaving the cave completely. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to walk around!”

And so they did, and after searching through all the areas where monsters liked to gather, they stopped by Gerson’s shop. 

“Well, if there aren’t  _ any  _ monsters around, that could mean two things,” Russ began, bringing up his hand to count off his fingers, “One, it could just be a post-genocide universe, which are usually really lonely and depressing,  _ or…” _

His head snapped up with a dramatic gasp, turning to the shop just a few feet away.

“...Stay here,” he told Papyrus, already walking towards the small opening. “Seriously,  _ right there.  _ Don’t move unless someone attacks you. I need to find something out.”

Papyrus did as told, being left to stand in confusion as the other disappeared into the shop. It seemed the Underground wasn’t as empty as it seemed, as he heard a quiet, muffled conversation come from inside. He took that as a sign to keep his guard up, crossing his arms before glaring at the faintly glowing rocks on the ceiling.

He was startled out of his tough facade, however, as he heard a loud, excited yell come from inside Gerson’s shop. Only a few seconds later, Russ ran out, grinning in a way that usually meant trouble.

“Come on!!” He all but shouted, grabbing Papyrus by the wrist and tugging him along behind him as he ran to the local Riverperson. “I have to show you something  _ right now!” _

Papyrus could hardly say “What?” before he was pulled into the boat, only able to stare in pure confusion as Russ asked to go to Hotland in hardly-contained ecstacy. Both of them  _ hated  _ Hotland, so why was he so excited to go there?

“Russ, what the hell are you so excited about?” He finally asked as the boat took off.

“You’ll see!!” Russ responded, not bothering to say much else as he bounced on his feet, rocking the boat slightly. If he was annoying the Riverperson, they thankfully didn’t show it.

It took his arm bouncing along with Russ for him to realize that the other still hadn’t let go of his wrist. He felt his face heat up a bit, considering tugging it away before Russ noticed, but was pulled out of the boat and onto the Hotland dock before he could act on it. After a very rushed  _ “Thankyou!” _ was said to the Riverperson, the two of them were running yet again.

Papyrus could hardly keep up, only getting a chance to breathe at each elevator. It didn’t help that his outfit was already hot as hell (and not in the good way, unfortunately), Hotland’s climate only making it worse as he was led through the god-awful puzzles and horrid steam vents.

Finally, they reached the MTT Resort, Russ skidding to a stop just before the CORE. As they walked through, the other seemed far more cautious than before, taking the time to look around thoroughly before getting to the elevator that led straight to the end. Papyrus wasn’t sure why he was suddenly concerned about safety when the CORE was supposed to be relatively safe and devoid of monsters in every universe, but he thought best not to question it.

His confusion only increased, however, when they arrived at the king’s home. Now it was his own turn to be cautious, though Russ expressed no more concern once they left the CORE. He trusted Russ, but he wasn’t sure how willing he was to be caught snooping around.

They finally slowed down after reaching the throne room, taking a moment to avoid trampling the freshly-watered flowers covering the ground like a golden blanket. They slowed down more and more with each room, Papyrus getting more anxious with the way Russ was nearly vibrating.

Once they got to the last room, Russ quickly turned around with a manic look, finally letting go of Papyrus’s wrist for the first time since he grabbed it in Waterfall. It stayed warm for a few seconds after being freed, despite nothing touching it anymore other than his own glove.

“What do you think is behind this door?” Russ asked, starting to bounce on his feet yet again.

“The… barrier??” Papyrus answered slowly, still not understanding what had him so excited. He had seen the barrier before, and it had always seemed more depressing than anything else.

“Okay, close your eyes!”

“What? Why?”

“Just trust me! I promise, you’ll love it!!”

Papyrus hesitated. Sure, Russ had saved his life a few times, but…

“Come on,  _ please?  _ Just indulge me, I’ll be right here with you the whole time!” Russ pleaded, stopping his bouncing to look at Papyrus directly. His grin shifted from ecstatic to earnest as he did his best to be persuading.

Papyrus was still skeptical, but…

“Ugh,  _ fine,”  _ he sighed, closing his eyes. “But if I get killed, I’m blaming you.”

“Fair enough,” Russ said, letting out a small giggle. Papyrus felt two hands land on his shoulders, making him jump. “Whoops, I didn’t mean to scare you, sorry! I’m just going to lead you outside, okay?”

“...Okay??” He replied, holding his hands out in front of him to make sure he didn’t crash into anything as Russ pushed him along from behind.

Suddenly, he felt a strange warmth surround him, taking in much fresher air as he breathed. He felt around with his hands, but found nothing to hold on to, not even the barrier. Somehow, there seemed to be nothing in front of him at all.

“Alright, now open your eyes!!” Russ said, his excitement clear as day in his voice.

Edge opened his eyes, and couldn’t stop the loud gasp that left his mouth.

It was so  _ beautiful. _

The trees had so many different colors and types, far different from the simple pine of Snowdin, and the city in the far distance glistened brightly from the…

“What is  _ that?” _ Papyrus asked, pointing at the glowing ball that was stuck firm in the endless blue of the sky. 

“Meet the  _ sun,  _ my friend!” Russ answered, and though he refused to look away, he could almost  _ hear  _ the large grin on his face. “Pretty cool, right?”

“Yeah,” was all he could manage to say before his legs gave out from under him. He would be experiencing most of this from the ground, apparently. Russ moved to help him up, but after getting completely ignored (unintentionally, at least), chose to sit quietly next to him instead.

He flinched, wiping his chin after feeling something drip from it. Very soon, he realized it was a tear. Quite a few, actually. Okay, then. Apparently that was happening, too. Alright. That was fine.

He didn’t jump again when Russ’s hand appeared on his now-shaking back, rubbing lightly. 

“I never th-thought,” Papyrus started, cringing as the stutter forced itself through, “I never th-thought I’d live to s-see this.”

Russ paused for a minute, before sighing inwardly.

Without a word, he pulled the other into a firm one-armed hug, patting his shoulder as he shook harder. He wasn’t  _ sad,  _ though. In fact, he wasn’t quite sure  _ what  _ emotions were swarming through his soul at the moment.

But no matter what, he couldn’t let himself look away. If Russ hadn’t suggested that the two of them see even more of it up-close, he probably would have stayed there forever.

**Author's Note:**

> this is probably the happiest thing i've ever written and it STILL has ppl crying in it


End file.
